


Destination Nowhere

by tobeconspicuous



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Drama & Romance, F/M, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Rare Pairings, Returning Home, The Dressmaker - Fusion, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-04 17:45:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13369896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tobeconspicuous/pseuds/tobeconspicuous
Summary: After her estranged father dies and leaves everything to Rita she decides to return to her childhood home for the first time in almost 20 years.She brings her lover along for some casual entertainment, but as they sift through the remnants from Rita’s childhood something more develops.





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

  * For [keraunoscopia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keraunoscopia/gifts).



> For keraunoscopia who initially prompted the title, and loved the summary enough to beg me to turn it into a real fic. She also beta'd this chapter.
> 
> I am estimating this at 6 chapters for now, we'll see how we go. 
> 
> This is loosely based on the novel/film "The Dressmaker", some plot elements have been used but the majority of the story is entirely different.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

State of California

Butte County Surrogate’s Court

 

In the Matter of the Estate of William Jonathan Randall Calhoun

 

Rita Elizabeth Anne Calhoun;

You have been declared the sole beneficiary of the Estate of William Jonathan Randall Calhoun.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that the Will of William Jonathan Randall Calhoun was probated by Jonas H. Reed, Surrogate of Butte County, in Silver Creek, California on the 12th of May 2012.

The undersigned Executrix will furnish you with a copy of the said Will upon request.

Carolina D’Abruzzo Executrix. Dated 15th of May 2012.

 

**Chapter One - Arrival**

 

The drive to River House, just outside Silver Creek, California was longer than Rita remembered, or maybe it was the five hour flight that had drained her. Either way they were nearing the end of a long day of travel, and after all that time in the air and now over two hours of driving Rita just wanted to lie down. Just wanted to close her eyes and pretend that she wasn’t returning home for the last time.

“You okay?” The familiar Staten Island accent asked her, Rita nodded her assurance at her travelling companion.

Dominick “Sonny” Carisi Jr. was the latest in a long line of younger conquests, though he didn’t appear to spook as easily as the rest. His chosen career may have had something to do with it, or the fact he had three sisters, either way he seemed to tolerate Rita’s mood swings better than most. Recently the detective had shown he had the tolerance of an angel, acting as both a shoulder to cry on and a verbal punching bag as Rita came to terms with something she had never quite considered.

The death of her father.

Rita gave the detective one last glance before turning her attention back to the road. “I’m fine, looking forward to finally getting there.”

“Not long now,” Sonny’s usually dimpled smile barely reached his blue eyes. A shrill siren sounded and he pulled to the side of the road, he sounded confused, “what the.” Rita watched his whole form as he leaned over her to open the glove box and pull out the registration. “Hold onto this just in case they ask.”

The two sat in silence, listening to the crunch of feet on gravel as the officer drew closer and closer. Rita looked in the rearview mirror, trying to glimpse whoever had pulled them over, but all she could see was an inky black sky dotted with stars. Eventually the footsteps stopped and there was a tap against the driver’s window, Sonny rolled it down to be greeted to harsh torch light.

The light quickly moved up and down Sonny before moving to Rita, a croaky voice then exclaimed, “Rita Calhoun, never thought I’d see you here again.” Rita’s stomach sank, she knew that voice far too well. “You’ve grown up.”

“Daniel Burbank,” Rita smirked, she was glad that after years of working as an attorney she knew how to cover her nerves. “I’d like to say the same, however I can hardly see you with the torch shining in my eyes.”

He grunted and flicked the torch back to Sonny. “And who’s this?”

“Just a close friend,” Rita answered smoothly.

A nasty laugh seemed to get stuck in his throat. “Close like the last one?”

“I’m actually fucking this one,” she dropped any decorum she had. “For the time being.”

“Don’t get yer panties in a twist,” Burbank grumbled before taking a step back.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sonny beamed his brightest smile at the officer. “It’s been a long day for the two of us and I’m unsure why we were pulled over-”

“Just a random check, it’s not too often we get cars as shiny as these around here,” Burbank snuffle.

“Well if that’s everything can we go?” Sonny asked politely.

The officer shone the torch at both of them one last time before he nodded. “Sure, just be careful with this one. She’ll kill you.” The bark of laughter that escaped echoed through the silent night air.

“Can we go Sonny,” Rita felt her palms start to sweat, she looked down at her hands, they were trembling.

Sonny nodded at her before turning back to the officer. “Goodnight sir.”

Sonny quickly pulled back onto the road, he kept opening his mouth, as though he wanted to ask Rita a question. Rita was grateful that none came, she was glad the detective could read her. After what felt like an age the car swung to the left and Rita saw the familiar trees that framed the road all the way up to her childhood home.

_Rita was unsure at first, her father had bound the swing together with rope and an old tyre that one of the men he worked with had given them. But when she was up in the air, standing on that tyre, her father's hands on her back pushing her, she had never felt more free._

\--

Rita wasn’t sure what to expect, in the darkness of the prior evening the house looked shabby, in the daylight it looked almost derelict. Minimal work had been done to keep the outside of the house in any sort of livable condition, at least the inside was mostly clean, only a few rooms had been left in disrepair.

Rita was a practical woman, once she assessed how much work actually needed to be done she called a company which specialized in property repairs. They wouldn’t be able to make it for a few weeks, which would give her and Sonny plenty of time to empty the house of its contents.

Sonny, who was standing in the kitchen making welcome home pancakes for the two of them, wearing nothing but grey tracksuit pants. Sonny, who was cracking jokes while subtly finding out how Rita was coping and how he could help make things run more smoothly for her. Sonny, who held her as she quietly sobbed when she had received the letter, who had stroked her hair and murmured reassurances into her hair.

Sonny had insisted that he join Rita on her journey home, he wanted to see what made the defense attorney tick. Rita was more easily swayed by the younger man than she cared to admit, an extra pair of hands attached to an attractive body made a nice distraction at the best of times. Now the man was standing in her family kitchen, using her family's cooking utensils and making her breakfast.

 

_“Rita,” Her mother’s voice was like a song, light and lyrical._

_“What momma?” She scowled as she was stopped at the door. “I wanna go play.”_

_“Taste this for me?” The woman had honey coloured hair and smelt of lavender, she raised the wooden spoon for Rita to taste._

_As Rita sipped the sauce off the spoon her eyes went wide. “So good momma.”_

_“Thanks baby girl,” with a smile and a wink she sent Rita on her way._

 

“Here,” Sonny’s gentle voice broke her from her memories. “Eat up, you’ll need your strength.”

Rita took the plate with a forced smile. “Thank you.”

“I checked out the cupboards and there is nothing edible left,” he sat down next to her, his own steaming plate of pancakes in hand.

Rita cocked her head to the side and tried not to let her grimace be too obvious. She failed of course, after several months of whatever the thing between them was the detective could read her far too well. Rita continued to eat while attempting to ignore the man’s eyes boring into her.

Eventually she had enough, “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“If you want to ask me something just ask,” She snapped at him, his casual demeanor which had relaxed her five minutes ago she now found irksome.

“It’s nothing,” Sonny back down immediately, Rita threw a glare at him. “We’ll need to go into town to buy supplies, and I was wondering if you wanted me to go alone.”

Rita opened her mouth and closed it again, it hurt how well he could read her. “It’s probably better that we both go, they don’t take kindly to outsiders.” She winced as the words fell from her mouth. “It sounds ridiculous I know-”

“I get it,” Sonny flashed a smile.

Rita rolled her eyes and sighed. “Let’s just finish our meals so we can get this over with.”

\--

Silver Creek was a small town with a smaller population than Rita remembered. As they drove to the general store, each and every person turned to look at them, and the sinking feeling in her stomach told Rita that she knew all of them. Their faces and their names had all been burned into her memory, and though they were older, uglier, ever barb and hurtful word was still there; fresh in her mind and just as lethal.

When they pulled up alongside the grocer storefront Rita could feel every single pair of eyes on her, hear every single whisper and utterance being said behind her back. She cracked her shoulders, held her head high and entered the store with her patented Rita smirk. She had completely forgotten about her young travelling companion until Sonny took her by the hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

“Rita Calhoun,” a familiar voice gasped. “I thought you were dead.”

 

_“Hold her down.”_

_Fight. Claw. Escape. Breathe. Win._

_“She’s moving too much Patty, I can’t.”_

 

“Still here I’m afraid,” Rita cocked her brow as scathingly as possible. Jennifer McKee was older now, with thin blonde hair which fell flatly around a long thin face, her teeth were yellow and disconcertingly matched the flecks in her brown eyes. Rita had an excellent memory, though one never forgets the face of a childhood bully.

She felt the familiar heat of Sonny’s form against her own. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured before he quickly pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Your tastes in men have changed I see,” Jennifer’s tone was scathing.

Rita turned to look her ex bully straight in the eye. “I do appreciate them tall and handsome. How’s your love life going Jenny, found anyone remotely interested?”

“Yeah actually,” the woman sounded gleeful. “He’s coming in from the next town over, tells me we’re go-”

“Scuse me,” A voice like nails sent shivers down Rita’s spine.

“Susan McKree,” Rita turned around to face Jennifer’s twin sister. “Where one goes so does the other.”

“What are you doing back here?” Susan snarled, salvia flying from her mouth.

Rita tried to keep the contempt off her face as she answered. “I am settling my father’s affairs.”

“I guess someone has too,” The smile that grew across the woman’s face was twisted and nasty. “He drank himself to an early grave, even your-”

“Uh... Sorry, Rita,” all the tension fell from her shoulders when Sonny said her name.

Rita turned to Sonny, she forced her normal overly pleased smile to make an appearance. “Yes Dominick?” She was grateful he didn’t flinch at the use of his proper name.

“I think I have everything,” He said politely, refusing to look at the women she had been talking to. “Would you mind if we headed off?”

Rita grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “Sure thing, Jenny here will help you.”

“Hi Jenny,” Sonny said politely before the woman nodded and turned on her heal. Sonny attempted to make small talk as Jennifer scanned their groceries through the register, but she would only respond with meak yes or no answers, a trait Rita had always despised. “Can we also have a bottle of red please?” Sonny turned and flashed Susan the most flirtatious grin he could muster.

Her face turned bright red, she attempted to bat her eyes in return. “Sure hun.”

Once they had run Rita’s card through, and everything came back as approved, Sonny quickly carried the groceries to the car. Rita ignored the burning looks the sisters, and the rest of the townsfolk who had stayed to watch her shopping trip, had given her. She just opened the door, slid onto the passenger seat, buckled her seat belt and waited with baited breath for Sonny to do the same.

“Watch out for that one,” Susan shouted as Sonny pulled the car out. “She’s a murderess.”

“Murderess?” Sonny asked once they were well away from the town.

Rita looked at him, her expression stern. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

They spent the rest of the drive home in silence, Rita over analysing every second of the conversation she had with the twins. When they finally arrived back at the house Sonny quickly unloaded the groceries and put everything away, while he was occupied Rita took the opportunity to start sorting. Sonny offered to make lunch, Rita refused, her stomach too twisted to contemplate eating.

As day turned into evening, Rita sorted through boxes, directing Sonny to lift and move things as she required. He made a light dinner, forcing Rita to take a break, to sit down, and to eat something. After their meal Rita found herself more relaxed, she beckoned to Sonny and asked him to sit with her and help.

They uncorked a bottle of wine, it was bitter and sour at once, disappointing for a small town so close to Napa. As they drank the wine they began to go through the boxes they had gathered, sorting through the near forgotten memories of Rita’s childhood. With each memory came a story, Rita found it far too easy to let them just roll off her tongue.

Sonny was engaged in each and every tale, asking just the right questions at the just the right time. In an hour Rita divulged more to the man than she had in several months of sharing a bed with him, she found him easy to talk to. As the hour grew later Sonny began to ask questions about the items, Rita was certain he wanted to learn more about her past.

“Who’s this?” Sonny asked, holding up a greying frame.

Rita took one look at the photo and her heart leapt, it was of someone she hadn’t thought of in years, her brother.

 

_“Reet, Reet.”_

_“What Johnny?”_

_“Look at me, I bet you can jump into the silo.”_

_“I won’t do that.”_

_“It’ll be fun Reet.”_

_“Johnny-”_

_“Don’t be such a chicken.”_

_“Johnny-”_

_“Fine I’ll go.”_

_“JOHNNY!”_  
  



	2. Johnny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to keraunoscopia for the beta.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

He hadn’t visited the old homestead for a few years now, not since his old man got a bug up his ass about finding a job. Johnny wasn’t meant for that life, he preferred to go wherever he chose.

When Johnny Calhoun heard the news of his father’s death he was surprised, certain the man would live forever, the idea of his mortality shook Johnny to the core. He hopped on his bike and headed to the nearest pay phone. He called Carolina, one of his father’s oldest friends to find out what had actually happened.

A heart attack, how boring.

What was less boring was the way Carolina gleefully explained the contents of his father’s Will. Johnny, hardworking Johnny who spent his years looking after his old man wasn’t getting a cent. Everything was going to his older sister Rita, the woman who hadn’t stepped on the property in years.

Well that wouldn’t do, he thought to himself as he returned to his bike. He jumped back on, revved the engine and sped off towards Silver Creek. He was going to pay his sister a little visit.

 

**Chapter Two - Johnny**

 

_Hands were on her, holding her arms, her legs, pinning her into warm dirt. Sharp jagged rocks pricked her skin, hard enough to cause pain, never enough to pierce skin._

_“Poor Rita wouldn’t want to be her,” the girls sang as they held her down, laughing mercilessly._

_Eventually the bell rang, causing the girls to jump off of her and run to the school house._

_“Poor Rita,” Patty laughed, giving Rita a final kick to the ribs. “Just wouldn’t want to be ya.”_

 

“Rita.”

Rita gasped, she bolted upright grasping the side of her ribcage, she was still able to feel the hard toe of a mary jane kicking into her. It had been hard enough to give her a bruise then, though now when she gently pushed the supposedly tender area she felt nothing.

Sonny had maneuvered himself so he was sitting upright next to her, a tentative had stretched out to touch her shoulder. Rita leaned into the touch, relishing the feel of his warm hand on her cool shoulder. Slowly but surely he raised the other and began to rub the back of her shoulders.

“You okay?” The concern apparent in his voice.

Rita nodded, unable to bring herself to use her voice. Her throat felt rough, sore, she had been screaming. Something she hadn’t done in her sleep for many years, something she had avoided by never visiting Silver Creek.

She slid out of bed and crept down the hall towards the bathroom, avoiding the creaky floorboards from memory. The once deep blue wallpaper was fading in places and peeling at the corners, the door to the large bathroom seemed to groan in protest as she opened it. She made he way to the free standing sink, turned a brass handle and waited for the water to start to run. As the tap moaned Rita couldn’t help but roll her eyes, it felt as though the house itself was annoyed at her presence.

She splashed her face and examined her appearance in the grimey mirror. She didn’t look nearly as vibrant as she normally did, two nights in her childhood home and she was already itching to run. She turned off the tap, marched straight down the hall and hopped into bed.

Before she knew it there was a hand on her shoulder and Sonny was jostling her awake. “Come downstairs when you’re ready, I’m making breakfast.”

“Not pancakes again?” Rita asked, there was a teasing lilt to her voice.

Sonny chuckled as he ran a hand through her hair. “Oatmeal and cream.”

“Sounds positively country,” Rita failed to sound scornful.

Sonny leaned over and pressed a kiss to her temple before standing up and throwing her a wink. “I was inspired by our surroundings.” He walked over to the door then turned to her again. “Don’t spend too much longer in bed, busy day ahead.”

Rita rolled her eyes and slumped back into the pillows. She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but every noise the house made echoed in her mind. Even Sonny’s gentle humming downstairs grated on her nerves. Eventually, when the thrumming in her head grew to loud she huffed and slid out of bed.

As she slowly got ready for the day she listened out for the normal sounds of Sonny preparing breakfast. It was almost comforting to listen to something so normal, even though back in New York it was a rare occurrence for either of them to spend the night. Here, in this old house, it felt all too domestic, and Rita was shocked and how much the idea appealed to her.

 

_Warm smells, happy tones, laughter._

_Squealing children run around a happy couple embracing in the kitchen._

_Someone calls her name, Rita giggles as fingers dig into her, tickling her._

_Warm hugs and sticky hands, a brightly coloured painting, a sense of pride in her work,_

 

“Rita,” Sonny’s pulled her out of her thoughts once more. “I need you to come down stairs, there’s someone here to see you.”

There was a banging sound and then some quiet murmuring. Rita finished applying her makeup quickly, before heading downstairs. Her heart stopped at the figure that stood almost looming in the kitchen.

He stood taller than Sonny did at 6 foot three, he had dirty brown hair with streaks of grey running through it. His eyes were a honey colour and the smile on his face was exactly as she remembered. When he opened his mouth to speak, Rita felt her heart tighten as though the man was squeezing it himself. “Rita Elizabeth Anne Calhoun, as I live and breathe.”

“Jonathan Anthony Michael Calhoun,” She fired back, never missing a beat.

“What Rita?” Johnny raised an eye. “No hug for your little brother?” He stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her, he squeezed a little tighter than was necessary. When he released her she gasped for air, she heard Sonny take a step towards her. “Now now, we’re all family here-”

“I’m not,” Sonny’s voice was harsh and had a protective quality.

Rita watched as Johnny slowly raked his eyes over Sonny’s form, his muscular arms were crossed in front of his puffed out chest, he was clearly trying to intimidate the detective. Sonny had stared down bigger and meaner men in his line of work, he just stood their smirking, wooden spoon still in hand from when he had last stirred the porridge. Normally Rita would be happy to let the display of manliness play out, in her current state though, she just wanted things to be over.

“What are you doing here Jonathan?” She cocked her head to the side, staring down her older brother.

“Jonathan Rita?” He teased, he had never been scared of Rita. “Since when have I been anything other than Johnny to you?”

“You haven’t been Johnny since you punched my friend in the face,” Rita scowled, she knew the kind of man her brother was.

“I’m not into that,” Johnny threw his hands up. “Not my fault a fist to the face was the only way to get the message across-”

 

_Blood spurting everywhere, Rita hovering, trying to remain calm._

_Johnny in the corner, snarling, angry,  his knuckles swollen._

_Their father looks at her with pity in his eyes._

_Rita decides then to leave the next day._

 

“He still has the scar,” Rita’s frustration and loathing for her brother threatened to boil over.

A small smirk played at her brother’s mouth. “Wait- you still see him?”

“On the odd occasion,” Rita took a deep breath and began to calm down. “He works with Dominick here.”

Rita watched as Johnny turned to Sonny, the smirk still plaguing his lips. Rita wanted to step forward and say something but Johnny beat her too it, “If you could let him know I’m sorry that’d be great.”

“Wait, what?” Sonny asked, clearly perplexed at the whole scenario. Realization dawned on his face, “Not Barba?”

 

_“This is your childhood home?” Rafael’s tone was skeptic._

_Rita cocked a brow, a smirk played on the corner of her pretty mouth. “It was for a long time.”_

_The two of them looked out of place in the rolling sprawl of grass and trees, nothing like the city of Boston, or the grounds of Harvard. Memories of the last time she was home started to creep into the back of her mind, she gre nauseous._

_“Rita,” Rafael soothed, he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “We can always head back to the hire car, we can go home.”_

_Rita wrenched her hand away._

_“This is my home.”_

 

“Barba?” Johnny’s tone was curious. “Never knew his surname.”

“Yes,” Rita confirmed, not wanting to draw this out. “I’m sure Rafael will appreciate the sentiment.”

“I didn’t know any better,” Johnny continued.

Rita sighed. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not,” he scowled at Rita. “But thanks anyway.”

 

_“What did you do Raf?” Rita asked as she mopped away the blood. Her friend just glared at her and muttered under his breath. “I’m sorry I can’t hear you.”_

_“I kissed him.”_

 

“I’m assuming you’re here for our father’s funeral?”

The man eagerly nodded. “Of course.”

“The service doesn’t start till ten,” Sonny piped up, clearly relieved at the change in subject. “Have breakfast with us?” Rita threw the blond a glare that he promptly ignored.

“Would love to, but I need to meet a friend. I’ll see you there.” He walked over to Rita, wrapped an arm around her and pressed a kiss to her head. He then made his way to Sonny and shook his hand. “It was nice meeting you…”

“Dominick Carisi Jr. Call me Sonny,” the blond beamed.

“Right,” He cocked a brow at Rita before he turned and walked out the door.

Sonny turned to Rita, a look of confusion adorned his handsome face. “I don’t expect you to explain everything now, but I would like one at some point.”

“I suppose I can do that,” Rita nodded before she made her way to the table and sat down. All though she was dreading any sort of conversation with Sonny at least she could disregard it for now. She had a funeral to attend.

\--

The service was busier than Rita had anticipated, her father had not been a popular man but the entire town of Silver Creek had turned up to his funeral. She tried to ignore the whispers, the pointed glares, tried to tell herself that everyone was here for her father. She tried to ignore the sinking clawing feeling in her stomach, she failed.

 

“ _She’s dead.”_

_Rita sank to the ground, her hands wrapped around herself. She rocked backwards, then forwards, then backwards, then forwards, trying to calm herself with the motion. She felt something wet hit her followed by the screams of her classmates._

_“She killed her.”_

 

Rita tried to concentrate on the minister, those words that were supposed to bring comfort, to bring peace. Instead they sounded sinister, bile began to creep up the back of her throat.

 

_“Murderess.”_

 

Somehow she held it together, Sonny’s hand on the small of her back stroking her, helped to ground her. Eventually the service was over and the doors to the small church were opened, no one rose to stand, all eyes focused on Rita.

She slowly rose to her feet, held her head high and began to walk down the aisle and out of the church. If she turned to look back she would have noticed Sonny and her brother scrambling to follow behind her. Rita refused to look back though, refused to acknowledge the whispers, refused to give the townsfolk the pleasure.

She maintained her rage, thanked each and every person who left the church with a soft smile. None of them greeted her with a kiss or a handshake like they greeted her brother. They gave her venomous looks, sour smiles and flinched if it looked as though she would move to touch them.

Eventually the ordeal was over, Rita, Sonny and Johnny returned to the house and held a private wake. The two siblings spent hours telling stories of their father, the man who they remembered from their childhood.

When Johnny began to discuss recent events, Rita felt herself grow numb. Eventually she excused herself and made her way to the kitchen, she found a bottle of wine that her brother had bought with him and poured herself a glass. She took a couple of large mouthfuls, ignoring the burning sensation as she drank quickly. She topped her glass up again before she returned to the lounge and the conversation.

As she slowly sipped her wine and listened to her brother’s tale the house began to feel warm, lived in. The combination of her brother’s soothing voice, the wine, and Sonny Carisi’s hand on her thigh was calming. She smiled at Sonny, laughed at Johnny and interjected herself in the conversation, ignoring the sinking feeling in her stomach of what was to come once the wine ran out and either of the two men began to ask questions she wasn’t willing to answer.

For now, Rita allowed herself to feel happy, to feel calm, to feel normal.

 

\--

 

Rita sat on the worn couch and watched as the shadows the flickering lights made dance across the walls. Her brother had disappeared and Sonny had gone to bed, she was alone. The memories her childhood, her past, and her present, haunted her. Instinctively she grabbed the old handset and pressed the numbers, her heart leaping when she heard the call connect.

“Rita,” the familiar voice grumbled. “It’s two am.”

Rita opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. Her heart was beating so heavily against her ribcage she could feel the vibrations in her hand.

 

_“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Calhoun.”_

_“And you are?”_

_“Rafael Barba, a friend of Rita’s.”_

 

“Rita,” their tone turned soft, concerned. “Is everything okay? Did you need me to come.”

“I’m fine Rafael,” she managed to croak out, the release of air was calming.

“You don’t sound it,” Rita could tell that he was trying to sound empathetic, but in reality he just sounded tired. “I can be on the next plane to Sacramento-”

“Raf no, I really am fine,” she brushed him off, not wanting to pull another one of her friends away from their work.

Someone Rafael’s familiar sigh of annoyance sounded endearing to her, she wondered if this was how his partner always felt. “Why are you calling then Rita?”

“Johnny asked me to pass on an apology,” There were a million excuses she could have used and she chose that one? Rita shuddered before she proceeded. “He’s sorry.”

“A half assed apology is better than none I suppose,” Rita could hear Rafael’s scoff down the phone.

Rita couldn’t help the smirk that twitched at the corner of her mouth as she practically purred, “Always so bitter Rafael.”

“Did you just call to antagonise me at two am?” Rita imagined the scowl on his face matched the tone of his voice.

Rita swallowed a laugh. “That’s a big word that early in the morning.”

“Well I-” Rafael was interrupted by a mumbling on his end. Rita strained to hear the whispered conversation between Rafael and his lover, but the men were too quiet. “Rita I can’t sit and banter with you all evening, I have court in the morning. So unless you need anything-”

“No thank you Rafael.”

Rita heard more murmuring before her friend finally said, “If you need me call. I’ll be-” She heard another hushed whisper. “We’ll be there.”

“I will call you if I need you,” Rita easily agreed, it was a weight off her shoulders to know she had friends willing to cross the country for her. It was a nice change to the hostile nature of the people of Silver Creek.

“Good night Rita,” Rafael said warmly.

“Goodnight. Tell Trevor I said hello,” Rita purred, she ended the call before the professor could respond.

The smirk still on her mouth, Rita made her way up the stairs and to the master bedroom. She changed quickly before sliding into bed next to Sonny, she couldn’t help the small smile that played on her lips as the man rolled over and wrapped a long arm around her waist. She felt protected, comforted, she felt loved.  
  



	3. Expectations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to keraunoscopia for the beta.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

Jennifer’s heart was hammering against her ribcage, her breath was coming in short sharp bursts. Johnny's hands were on on her hips, admiring his handy work; there would be bruises in the morning.

Then suddenly the man was gone, pulling up his jeans, buttoning his fly and ignoring Jennifer’s pleas for him to stay. He had better things to do, he had to look after his sister, didn’t want her knowing he still socialised with the locals. He threw Jennifer one last smile over his shoulder, promising to call her next time he needed to relieve some tension.

Jennifer sat on her bed for a moment, she inhaled deeply before rising to her feet and heading towards the bathroom. As she showered away the signs that she had been intimate with Johnny she silently cursed his sister. If she hadn’t been in town Johnny would have stayed, maybe even grow to love her.

That’s what she told herself, had to tell herself. If it was Rita’s fault then maybe once the woman was gone Johnny would truly love her.

 

  
**Chapter Three - Expectations**

 

  
It had been three days since the funeral and Rita still felt as though they had made no headway into sorting her father’s things. She loathed wiping down each increasingly dusty item, the musty smell alone made Rita’s stomach turn and her skin grow clammy. She couldn’t understand how Sonny or her brother could keep cleaning, keep joking around when surrounded by such filth.

Everything was mostly boxed away into what Rita or Johnny wanted to keep, Johnny’s pile being far higher of course, and what she was happy to sell. There was still so much to sort through, in the attic, in the basement, in the spare rooms, her old childhood bedroom, it was all going to take longer than she expected.

Sonny and Johnny seemed to be getting along well, better than Rita had ever gotten along with her brother. The two men had turned packing into a game, Sonny guessing the story behind the item and Johnny telling him the actual story behind it. Or he made his own story up, just as Johnny always did.

 

_  
“Johnny stop it,” Rita squeals as her brother kicks her._

_“Johnny stop it,” Johnny mimics in a high pitched squeal.  
_

_“Johnny don’t,” She tries again.  
_

_“Johnny don’t,” he continues to kick her.  
_

_It was their father’s large booming voice that stopped the children in their tracks._

 

Rita was glad that Sonny was enjoying the time they were spending with Johnny, Rita was not. Her brother had been dropping increasingly unsubtle hints about how unfair he found their father’s will, as though it was Rita’s fault that he had left her everything. Rita ignored him of course, focusing all her energy on cleaning, packing and choking down the bile that rose at all the dust and grime. Still, the boys casual conversation and occasional guffaws of laughter put Rita on edge.

Johnny in particular liked to press all of his sisters buttons. “Rita ever tell you about how we used to jump into Silos-”

“I never jumped in, you always did,” Rita scowled as she tossed yet another tackle magazine in the pile of items to be thrown away.

Rita’s tone did not perturb her brother. “Well I was always the brave one.”

“I’ve seen Rita in court,” Sonny’s chuckle was light and airy. “She’s plenty brave.”

“Right,” Johnny clearly didn’t believe him. “Anyway, me and the boys are gonna play a game and maybe head out and check out the silos tonight, you in?”

“What game?” Sonny’s interest was piqued.  
Her brother flashed a handsome smile. “Touch football.”

Sonny looked at Rita, eyes begging to be allowed to go and play. Rita sighed loudly, “I’m not your keeper, go have fun.”

Sonny leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Rita’s temple, a warm happy smile had fallen across his features. Rita had to will herself not to return the smile, but she was certain the warmth in her eyes reflected her appreciation.

“Well, this is my cue to leave,” Johnny cleared his throat as he rose to his feet. “Sonny, meet me at the general store around four. See you there sis?”

Rita just cocked a brow. “Maybe, when I get bored.”

\---

Clearly the men had been enjoying themselves, it had been almost two hours since Sonny had departed to play the game and Rita had spent the entire time cleaning. Now she wanted to have a little fun, mainly at Sonny’s expense, to make up for her altogether boring day.

She dressed herself in an emerald green rockabilly style dress with short sleeves, a wrapped bodice with a collared neckline and a belted waist. The emerald color made her look younger, radiant even, it was a color Sonny had loved on her since he first saw her wear it. The younger man was going to be floored.

The drive to the game was boring, endless scenery with a few decrepit buildings. When she finally arrived she parked the car, elegantly stepped out, straightened her skirts and closed the door behind her. All the townsfolk were enraptured with the game, screaming, cheering on their favourite players.

She sashayed over to the crowd, disappointed with the lack of reaction she received, the townsfolk more interested in the game than the woman walking towards them in emerald green.

She took a moment to admire the scene in front of her. Handsome men, all appearing to be in their thirties, running around shirtless and sweaty. Rita particularly admired her own younger man, Sonny Carisi looked divine without a shirt on, all lithe muscles and sinew, she couldn’t help but lick her lips.

The ball skidded towards her, Rita raised her foot and stopped the ball with the emerald green pump she was wearing. Now that got their attention.

Johnny rolled his eyes immediately upon seeing what her sister was in, and Sonny cocked his brow appreciatively after he raked his eyes over Rita’s form. The rest of the town though, the men all looked at her as though they had never seen a woman before, which made Rita shiver with delight.

The women of the town were another matter.

They glared at her, open expressions of rage across their faces. If they were disgusted by her fashion choices, their own bland state of dress, or the state of the players who were slack jawed and gawking.

Rita gave a little smirk before picking up the football and punting it over to Sonny. She threw him a wink before making her way over to the seating area. Aware of all the eyes on her she took her time sitting down, making sure to give the players a nice view of her backside before she finally took her seat.

Soon the players started up again, but every so often one would look at Rita and get distracted, this was driving the townsfolk mad. Instead of focusing on the game, she focused on the gossip surrounding her.

“Daniel,” someone growled to the deputy. “Stop her, charge her.”

Burbank just sounded amused. “With what? Sitting?”

“Why is she even here?” Another person said angrily.

Their friend responded with an overly loud, “Are murderesses allowed to run free now?”

 

_The girls body was lifeless, her neck had broken at a strange angle._

_Rita looked down at her hands, they were trembling, as were her arms, her legs, her whole body.  
_

 

Rita bit her tongue, not willing to get involved with the nasty gossip surrounding her. She was satisfied with the bouts of jealousy she caused, Rita had always enjoyed stirring the pot. As she continued to watch the men play, Rita couldn’t help the satisfied smile that curled across her face everytime one of the players looked at her.

Except for Sonny.

Every so often he threw her a teasing smile, an almost smirk that seemed to curl over his handsome features. He knew exactly what she was doing, he knew her far too well. The thought made Rita’s palms sweat and her stomach churn, familiar experiences she hadn’t felt for a long time.

It made her nervous.

How was it a man ten years her junior could read her so well, knew exactly what she was feeling, exactly what she needed. How could he make her feel so special, so wanted, so wanton. How did he make her feel so vibrant, so youthful, so alive.

He was always her first thought when she awoke in the morning, her last when she fell asleep at night. He loved to press soft kisses into her hair, stroke and worship every inch of her body. He looked at her as though she hung the stars in the sky, as though she could do no wrong. Even when they sat on opposite sides of the courtroom, he would pull her aside and congratulate her, no matter the outcome.

Rita watched as he scored a touchdown and ran around the field like a buffoon. This handsome younger man, who treasured his family and friends, who treasured her. He was practically living in her apartment even though they had only been dating for… The thought hit her like a ton of bricks. A year, their thing had been going on for a year.

The smile he threw her when the game was finally over only cemented it. Rita Calhoun was falling in love with Dominick ‘call me Sonny’ Carisi Jr.

\--

She had spent the evening tossing and turning, unable to sleep, too aware of the man sleeping next to her. Normally Sonny’s presence would be comforting, after her revelation however, she was acutely aware of the other man’s weight, his breathing; every movement he made throughout the night roused Rita from her sleep.

Eventually she dragged herself out of bed and trudged down the stairs and into the kitchen. She filled the kettle and boiled it before she went looking for the press. It wasn’t the best coffee in the world, but it would do at this moment.

As she waited for the kettle to boil Johnny walked through the door, his voice as bright and eager as always. “Morning Rita.”

“Good morning Johnny,” she grumbled as the kettle clicked over.

He watched as she rummaged through the cupboards for the coffee beans. “Sleep well?”

“As well as I can in this house,” Rita scowled as she located the beans. She returned to the press and measured the beans out, making it slightly stronger than he lover would have.

Johnny did not sound impressed. “It’s your house.”

“Not for much longer,” Rita muttered as she poured the water and made her coffee.

“About that, what if you didn’t sell it?” His tone was light, an amused smirk gave his face a sinister look. “What if you gave it to me instead.”

She was not even going to entertain his train of thought. “Johnny.”

“Come on Sis,” he pleaded with her.

“I-I-,” Rita’s tone grew soft as she relented.

“I’d be happy to let you buy it off me.”

“I can’t afford that,” Johnny snapped as Rita finally took a long sip of coffee.

Rita cocked a perfectly manicured brow, “I’d give you a good discount.”

“Not good enough,” He ran a hand through his light brown locks as he continued to rant. “I have nothing.”

“Obviously-”

“I have no money,” he fell quit.

Rita felt for her brother, she really did, but she had suspected there was a reason why her father had left the entire estate to her. “I’m more than happy to split the sale of the contents-”

“But not the house,” he said coldly.

 

_“Daddy loves you better,” Johnny snarled at her. “It’s why I always have to help him out, you never have to lift a finger.  
_

_Rita thought about how she had taken over all the cooking and cleaning when their mother fell ill. Johnny got to spend afternoons playing with the other kids, Rita spent her afternoons alone.  
_

_It wasn’t fair how Johnny or the other kids treated her, she hated it.  
_

 

“No,” her tone was final.

He whined at her, tried to plead with her. “Why not? Aren’t you some big shot lawyer now?”

“I am a defense attorney yes,” Rita said carefully, not wanting to cause him to blow up again. “Prior to that I worked for the District Attorney’s office-”

“Which means you have money now-” Johnny’s began to rise but soon softened when they heard muffled footsteps, soon Sonny’s tall frame stepped through the door. Johnny’s tone changed immediately. “Sonny, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” Sonny cocked his head to the side, his tone firmer than normal. “What are you two discussing?”

“How unfair our lots in life are, well at least how unfair mine is,” Johnny finished with a bitter laugh.

“Johnny,” Rita stepped forward, a slight plea in her tone.

“I’m leaving,” Her brother scowled at her. “See you later Sonny.”

And then he made his move, not bothering to wait for the detective’s response. He purposely brushed past Rita as he made his way out, before slamming the door behind him.

Sonny turned to Rita, the concern apparent on his face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Rita brushed him off and went back to sipping on her coffee.

Sonny walked over and wrapped his arms around her. He burrowed into her hair and inhaled, clearly enjoying her scent. “Are you sure?”

“I am,” she couldn’t help the soft smile that graced her features.

Sonny pressed a kiss to her temple before he turned her around to face him. “I can cancel my plans with him tonight if you want?”

“No need,” Rita pulled herself from his grasp.  
“Are you sure? I can-”

“I am a grown woman Dominick,” she scowled before she gulped down the rest of her coffee and poured herself another cup. “I can look after myself.”

“All right then,” Sonny nodded before taking the press off her and setting it down.  
Rita sipped on her coffee, disappointed at how luke warm it was. She set the cup down before she ran a hand down Sonny’s arm.

“Let’s just see if we can get the basement sorted today.”

Sonny flashed her a happy smile. “Lead the way.”

\--

If Rita had known what her brother would end up telling her lover she wouldn’t have sent the two off on their way. The night started off amicably enough, with both men drinking and swapping stories. Sonny talked about his days as a beat cop and Johnny talked about his own travelling the country.

As the evening continued, more alcohol was imbibed and teasing became something more pointed, more barbed. Johnny’s tongue began to slip, and some views and opinions that Sonny didn’t share with him began to emerge. Sonny didn’t want to hear derogatory slurs about the man he admired, and when he tried to shut Johnny down the man would laugh and brush him off.

Soon they were hurling insults at one another, their toxic conversation coming to a boil.

Sonny should have shut it down earlier, he thought could handle it, but everytime he sought an exit or got up to leave Johnny would bring him back into the conversation with another remark.

Finally Sonny had enough, “I can’t wait to get out of here, this entire town treats your sister like garbage. It’s ridiculous.”

“The townsfolk are right to dislike my darling sister,” Johnny’s smirk was predatory, and Sonny knew that what the man was about to say was going to change his world. “You see Sonny, Rita is a murderer.”


	4. War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to BarbaEsparza & ChameleonCircuit for the once over/beta.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

His mother always told him he was a patient man.

He knew when he started seeing Rita that he would need to wait for her to make a decision, to pursue a relationship with him or to finally end their thing together. When he offered to join her in Silver Creek to help her clean up her childhood home, he assumed that she was ready to take the next step. 

Then came Johnny, with his loose tongue and genuinely happy nature. The man told Sonny stories of a childhood spent playing in fields, jumping into the wheat silo and teasing his sister when she wouldn’t follow. Though later after an evening spent drinking Johnny’s nature turned sour and his tongue spiteful. In an evening he spilt more secrets about Rita to Sonny than the woman had ever shared.

At first Sonny hadn’t believed the man, but as the night drew on, it slowly dawned on the detective that as far fetched as everything sounded he was telling the truth. When Sonny voiced his joy at finally leaving, Johnny told Sonny the hardest truth of all. The woman he loved was a murderer.

After he returned home that evening he lay in bed next to Rita, listening to her breathing turn slow as she finally fell to sleep. Sonny’s stomach was in knots, his palms sweaty and his hackles raised. He would not be sleeping that evening but he would let Rita sleep for as long as possible. After all, the conversation they would be having in the morning was long overdue.

As his mother always told him, he was a patient man.

 

**Chapter Four - War**

 

Rita awoke to the familiar sounds and smells of Sonny making breakfast. She didn’t remember much of the previous evening, just that Sonny had returned home late, pressed a kiss against her temple and murmured something nonsensical into her ear. Or at least she thought he had.

The noises coming from the kitchen somehow sounded more aggressive than what she was used to. Clearly something had happened with her brother. Rita sighed loudly before she forced herself to slink out of bed and into the shower. She rushed through her morning routine, ensuring she looked her best before she headed downstairs and into the kitchen.

Sonny looked stunning in plain slacks and a polo shirt, his fashion had definitely changed since Rita had taken the boy under her wing. She padded over to him and wrapped her arms around Sonny’s strong center before pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

She purred with contentment, “good morning.”

“Morning,” he responded gruffly. “We need to talk.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Rita said coolly as she removed her arms from around Sonny.

He passed a plate of bacon, egg and sausage towards her. “Here, eat this.”

“I’d rather not-”

“Humor me,” his tone was serious.

She reluctantly took the plate from him and walked over to the table, the younger man followed with his own plate of food. They both sat and began to eat, Rita opened her mouth several times, wanting to start a conversation, but she was shut down constantly. Sonny would shoot a glare at her, shovel food into his mouth before looking down at his phone which clearly had no reception.

“I’m done with this,” Rita scowled as she slammed down her fork on the table. “Either you say something or I am leaving.”

Sonny quietly placed his fork down, and used a serviette to wipe at his mouth before he responded. “I don’t understand how I can learn more about you in less than a week here than I have since we started dating.”

“We’re not dating-”

“Well whatever we’ve been doing for the past year then,” he snapped at her, his normally warm blue eyes looked cold as ice. “This town treats you like dirt-”

“Why do you think I left?” Rita scoffed as she tried to ignore the bubble of dread in her stomach.

“Because you were sent away,” he went straight to the point.

“Sonny-”

“For murdering a child,” his tone left no room for argument.

 

_ “What did you do Rita?” _

_ “I- I-” _

_ “She’s dead.” _

 

Rita would try anyway though. “I did not murder anyone,” she hissed through bared teeth.

“That’s not what Johnny told me,” Sonny cocked a brow in a way far too reminiscent of his mentor.

Rita took a deep breath before answering. “Johnny’s a liar.”

“Your brother is many things, a racist, homophobic asshole,” his tone was mournful. “But he is not a liar.”

 

_ “You should go.” _

_ “Look Raf-” _

_ “And take that man with you.” _

_ “Father-” _

_ “It ain’t right what Johnny did to him, but he ain’t right either.” _

 

“So you’d believe Johnny over me?” Rita questioned even though she already knew the answer.

The look Sonny gave her was pitiful. “At least he’s honest with me.”

“I’ve only ever been honest with you,” Rita rolled her eyes, unable to fathom what the younger man was trying to say.

“Then why don’t you ever talk to me?” His temper rose once more, even though his tone was quiet his voice shook with rage. “Why else bring me here?”

Rita cocked her brow, a wicked smirk began to form at the corner of her mouth. “You’re only here as a distraction,” the words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. “Stress relief.”

The detective clearly didn’t believe her, he dropped his head and looked her straight in the eye. “Really? You flew me all the way here from New York for stress relief?”

“Yes,” she refused to budge even though her heart cried out something completely different.

Sonny could see right through her of course. “When will you admit that there is actually something between us?”

Rita scoffed. “Something between us?”

Sonny’s face fell and the room went silent. All Rita could hear was the rushing of blood in her ears and the pounding of her heart against her rib cage. The look on Sonny’s face wasn’t what she was used to, it was cold, bitter even. It looked almost wrong on the man’s normally happy face. The fact that she was the cause of that look made her feel ill. She choked down the bile that formed at the back of her throat.

Sonny stood up and made his way around the table so he could stand beside Rita. He lifted her chin with his thumb and forefinger so he could look her dead in the eye, his own blue eyes were tinged with anger and hurt.

“I know you Rita Elizabeth Anne Calhoun,” his tone was as cold as the look on his face. “And I know that you love me.”

“How dare you,” Rita wrenched her chin from his grip before she stood to meet his gaze. “I don’t know what fantasy you’re living in, but when we get back to New York this thing between us? Is over.”

“Fine,” Sonny took a step back, his hands raised in defeat. “Clearly you don’t need me here.” He picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen. A few moments later he returned with the rental keys in hand, “I’ll be staying in town until you’re ready to apologize.”

Rita watched as he wrenched the back door open and slammed it behind him. She waited in silence as each second crawled by. Eventually Rita heard the faint rev of an engine in the distance and then a car driving away, she released a breath she didn’t know she had been holding.

She felt something wet roll down her cheek. She raised a hand and wiped off a single tear. Then another fell, and another, and another. For the first time in an age Rita felt helpless, like a little girl who was trapped in a situation of her own making. She moved to the couch and cried; for her mother, her father, and her lover.

\--

It was growing late when Rita tipped the last of her bottle of wine into a glass, a deep rich Syrah. After she had finally stopped crying she had picked herself up, climbed the staircase and slowly reached for the door handle. As her hand shook on the knob she took a deep breath before finally turning it and opening the door.

Rita didn’t know what she expected, for everything to remain the same or for the room to have been completely stripped over her, the reality was a mixture of both. Her father had packed all her belongings away in boxes, her childhood clothes still hung in the closet and there was a single letter left on the bare mattress.

Rita strode over, picked it up and opened it. As she read the contents her stomach began to churn as each word burnt into her subconscious.

 

_ Rita, _

_ I hope you lived the life you were destined to. You are extraordinary. _

_ I will always be proud of you. _

_ Your Father _

 

She scrunched up the letter and tossed it on the floor before storming out of the room and down the stairs. She went straight for the cupboard and with a shaking hand grabbed a bottle of wine. She placed it on the counter inhaling and exhaling deeply, she had no interest in continuing this day.

Before she could open the bottle, Rita heard the familiar sound of the front door opening and closing. Her heart leapt at the noise but quickly plummeted when her brother walked in the room.

“Hey sis,” Johnny’s tone was full of warmth, as though nothing was wrong. “I saw Sonny down at the local hotel, he’s well on his way to being plastered-”

“What did you tell him?” Rita stalked over to her brother.

“Tell who? Sonny?” He cocked a brow, a nasty smirk on his face. “Only the truth big sis, that you’re a murderer-”

“Not funny Johnathan,” she scowled.

“It happened a long time ago,” he practically purred. “Maybe you don’t remember it properly?”

 

_ Blood, so much blood. Running, trickling, splattered on the ground. _

_ She was covered in it. _

_ Thick, red, and coppery. It smelt like death. _

_ Patricia was dead. _

 

“Of course I do, it ruined my life,” Rita spat before she walked to the lounge to grab her empty glass.

He brother followed gleefully. “Ruined your life? You attended Harvard Law School-”

“You have no idea,” Rita felt the anger radiate from her, she placed her glass back on the table before she turned to face her brother. “I worked hard to get there.”

“Oh I know,” her brother scowled. “Our father was so proud,” his voice turned sour as he continued. “You were always the favorite.”

“I was the favorite?” The words left a bitter taste in her mouth. “He never saw me. He never called, never responded to my letters.” Her chuckle was dry and full of hurt. “Though he clearly read them as neither of you were surprised when Rafael and I turned up-”

 

_ “Come on Rita,” Rafael grabbed her hand. “I’ll help you pack your things.” _

_ “No.” _

_ “Personally I would rather not spend another night here,” he changed his tone. “So help me pack?” _

_ “Okay.” _

 

“Of course you’d bring that up,” Johnny muttered.

“It was the last time I saw him.” Each word that fell from Rita’s mouth was full of years of pent up frustration.  “He kicked me out of the house-”

Her brother just shrugged in response. “He asked you to leave. You could have always come back.”

“To where I wasn’t welcome?” Rita winced at the slightly hysterical tone her voice had taken.

“You were always welcome here,” Johnny’s sigh was pitiful. “He left you his entire house for god's sake.”

“He never tried to contact me,” Rita moved over to sit on the couch.

“Rita, he went to your graduation.”

“He did not,” She huffed as she sank into the cushions.

“Yes he did,” Johnny’s tone was earnest. “Hang on.”

She watched as he left the room, listening intently as he climbed up the stairs. As she waited thoughts of her father crept into her mind, making her stomach churn with anticipation. Eventually Johnny returned and handed her a stack of photos. They were all taken from a distance but there was no mistake, they were of her, of Rafael, of the two of them laughing and smiling. Of their friends, Rafael’s mother and grandmother, everyone so happy and proud.

Rita dropped the photo’s, her stomach rolled as they scattered across the table, covering it with pictures of one of the happiest days of her life. She looked up at her brother, trying to hold back her tears. “Wh- Why didn’t he say anything?”

“He said you looked happy, that you were moving to New York,” Johnny moved to sit next to her, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. “He didn’t want to hold you back from your bright future.”

“That’s ridiculous,” her voice cracked. “He was my father, I needed him.”

“You seemed to do okay without him,” his words didn’t help.

“Appearances can be deceiving,” she wrenched her hand away and slowly rose to her feet. “I need a drink.”

She turned to make her way back to the kitchen but she felt her brother’s hand tight on her wrist. “Here let me get you something stronger.”

\--

Rita felt giddy, and more confident than she had in a long time. Johnny was in front her of, a bottle of bourbon in one hand and yanking Rita forward with the other. Johnny decided that they had spent enough time indoors and it was time to visit other relics from their past. It had taken some convincing on Johnny’s end, but eventually she relented, which is how she found herself trudging through a field ruining a pair of four hundred dollar shoes.

“Coming back here dragged up old memories,” She said bitterly as she thought about her future dry cleaning bill. “Sometimes I think I’m cursed.”

Johnny barked out a laugh. “You’re not cursed, why would you think that?”

“Everything that happened with Patricia,” Rita finally had enough, she wrenched her hand from her brother’s and pulled off her shoes. “And now Sonny-”

“That’s my fault, I shouldn’t have said anything,” even in the dark she could practically see the mortification. 

“The conversation was over due,” Rita shrugged as she grabbed the bottle off her brother and took a swig. “He and I were never going to last.”

“Why not? He seems like a good guy,” he said fondly.

She cocked her brow. “How would you know?”

“I’ve spoken with him?” Johnny chuckled. “I’ve seen him around other people?” He continued, his tone light. “He always seems to find that one thing he has in common with a person and latches onto it.”

“He does have a way with people,” she murmured in agreement.

They continued to walk in silence, only the natural sounds of nature to keep them company. Then Johnny suddenly stopped to turn and face Rita, “So why wont it last?”

“I’m too old, too bitter-”

He looked at her, a bemused expression on his face. “You’re just making excuses.”

“I only hurt the people I love,” she muttered under her breath.

“What?”

“Ever since Patricia died,” she was unsure how to proceed. “I’ve been cursed.” There was a moment of silence before her brother burst out laughing. “Stop it, it’s not funny.”

Her tone just made Johnny laugh harder. “Yes it is, my prim and proper sister, who is a lawyer, believing in curses.”

“All my relationships have ended in disaster-”

“So have mine,” Johnny threw his hands in the air. “It’s all part of being an adult.” He then grabbed her by the hand again. “Come on.”

She saw it, the wheat silo loomed in the darkness, Johnny clearly wanted her to climb it. Even as a child Rita had never been a fan of the large steel structure, before she knew it Johnny was halfway up it.

“You can’t be serious,” Rita’s voice shook. “Johnny”

“Leave the bourbon and join me,” he shouted back at her, he was almost at the top.

Rita walked up to the ladder, left the bourbon and her shoes on the ground,  and placed her hands on the cool metal rungs. She took a deep breath before she raised a foot and started to climb, the combination of the height and the alcohol made her head spin. When she finally reached the top and crawled over to where her brother was sitting she breathed a sigh of relief.

“See,” Johnny chuckled. “You didn’t fall, you’re not cursed.”

“Not funny,” Rita scowled.

Johnny moved over to the edge of the hatch, he moved the metal latch and slowly opened the silo. “Tell me you’re not cursed or I will jump.”

Rita rolled her eyes. “You will do no such thing.”

“I’m gonna jump,” he teased as he swung both legs over the side so he they were dangling into the silo.

Her breath caught in her throat. “Please don’t.”

“Say you’re not cursed,” he had always been stubborn.

“Johnny-”

“Say you’re not cursed and I won’t jump,” he said one final time. When Rita refused to answer he flashed her a smile. “Too late,” he chuckled before sliding inside the vat. 

Rita waited for the familiar sound of a body landing on wheat, but there was nothing, just the noises of the night.

“Fine,” Rita conceded, before she peered into the vat and shouted.. “I’m not cursed.” She waited for Johnny’s response, nothing. “Johnny can you hear me? I am not cursed.” Rita shouted a little louder, she heard her voice echo back, but not her brother. “Johnny?”

She pulled out her phone and switched on the torch and shone it into the wheat silo. Only the silo wasn’t full of wheat like Johnny had expected, it was full of Sorghum. Within seconds Rita’s stomach sank just as Johnny would have. As she called the police her whole body trembled with realisation, her baby brother was dead.


	5. Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to ChameleonCircuit for the once over/beta, any other mistakes are mine.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

Rafael Barba was awoken from his slumber by the shrill ring of his personal mobile. He rolled over and tried to ignore it, however the person calling him was persistent. As soon as the call went to voicemail the person was clearly hanging up and then called him again. Rafael grabbed the phone and answered it without looking at the screen.

“This better be important,” he growled.

There was a sob on the other end, followed by a familiar voice croaking “Rafi.”

Suddenly he felt far more awake. “Rita?” He forced himself out of bed and moved through the hallway and into the kitchen. “Is everything okay?”

“Rafi,” the woman sobbed again. “Johnny, my brother, is dead.”

It was as though a bucket of ice had been poured over him. It had been years since he saw the handsome younger man, and though Rafael did not think much of him he couldn’t help but feel for his friend. To lose two family members in less than a fortnight, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how she felt. “We’ll be on the next plane to Sacramento."

“Rafael-”

“Trevor is licensed to practice in California,” Rafael cut her off. “Let us help you.” He listened to her rapid breaths as he waited for an answer. “Please?”

Finally, she croaked out a single word. “Okay.”

 

**Chapter 5 - Death**

 

After she had called the police Rita found herself unable to move from on top of the silo. As she sat on the edge of the hatch she spent what felt like hours staring inside and contemplating what would happen if she just slid inside after her brother. After all, she was the last of the Calhouns, wouldn’t it be something if they all went out together.

Rita chuckled bitterly to herself. 

She wouldn’t go quietly in the night, Rita never went quietly. She would fight, kick, and scream for the win. She had worked far too hard to become the woman she was to let a moment of drunken contemplation be the end of her. Rita sent a silent prayer to Johnny before she turned and dragged herself over to the edge. She took a deep breath before she swung herself over the ledge and onto the ladder. 

As she made her descent Rita heard sirens in the distance, their wails growing louder as they drew closer. As she reached the bottom and stepped off the ladder, Rita saw the red and blue of the lights being reflected in the steel of the silo. She leaned down and picked up her shoes before eventually forcing herself to walk over to the police.

“It’s always you isn’t it Rita?” Daniel Burbank muttered before he threw a blanket at her.

Rita caught the blanket with a scowl. “I just watched my brother drown, surely you can drop the attitude for a minute.”

Several minutes later, on the heels of the police of course, was the rest of Silver Cree. They arrived in their various cars and trucks, whispers of suspicion of murder under their breath. It wasn’t until the police cracked the silo and the sorghum poured out that things became really heated.

Jennifer McKee let out a shriek, her sister followed suit directing her hatred towards Rita. “Look at what you’ve done.”

“Excuse me?” Rita could not believe what this woman was trying to imply.

“You murdered Patty,” Susan stormed closer to her. “And now you’ve murdered your own brother.”

Rita couldn’t help the venom that oozed from her voice. “I am not a murderer, you’re all self obsessed hicks. I am sorry your own lives are so dissatisfying you have to tear everyone down to your level.”

“You say that again, murderess,” Susan spat in Rita’s face.

Rita reached up and wiped the spit off her cheek before she took a deep breath and calmly responded. “Thank you for proving my point.”

Before Susan could respond, Rita turned and made her way back towards the officers. She let Burbank know that she was ready to get this over and done with so she could go home and shower. He told her to stay put and they would get to her when they could, Rita rolled her eyes but nodded.

“Rita,” a familiar voice caused her to spin around.

“Sonny?” She couldn’t help the warmth that flooded through her at the sight of him. “What are you doing here?”

“I came with everyone else,” he said, a small frown on his face.

“Oh.”

He stepped forward and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. “As soon as I heard what happened I knew I had to be here for you.”

“Sonny-”

“Rita please,” He begged as he drew Rita into his arms and held her against his chest. “Just let me help you.”

“Thank you.”

\--

By the time Rita had been taken to the station, had answered all the questions she felt comfortable answering without an attorney, and had made her way back to the house it was after noon. She was so sore, so tired, and very much over being in Silver Creek. She wanted to forget about the house and her father’s things; she wanted to go home.

She sat on the couch dozing to the noises of Sonny cooking in the kitchen. If she closed her eyes they were back in her apartment, light jazz playing in the background, Sonny teasing her as her cooked her one of his family's old recipes. The sound of the man’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Here’s some lunch,” Sonny said warmly as he placed a plate of sandwiches on the coffee table. “It’s not much but it’ll get you through till dinner. There’s some leftovers in the fridge which will just need to be heated up.”

“Thank you,” a small smile was on her lips.

“If you need anything I’ll be staying-”

“Wait,” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Please stay.”

“Okay,” he quietly agreed.

Rita slid over and patted the couch next to her, before she gestured for the younger man to sit behind her. Once he was comfortably seated she leaned back into him and pulled a strong arm around her. She inhaled deeply, relishing in the man’s scent, it gave her strength for what she needed to say.

“Her name was Patricia Sullivan,” Her voice sounded croaky, even now the hurt was far too real. “Everyone called her Patty. She hated me.”

She felt Sonny stiffen. “Rita-”

“Please, let me finish,” She stopped him. “I want to tell you everything, I need you to listen.”

“Okay,” was all he said.

“Patricia would constantly bully me,” Her voice ached with sadness. “She would encourage the other girls to hold me down as she beat me. I was terrified of her. One afternoon I was held back because I corrected the teacher.”

Sonny gave her an amused look.. 

“What?” She scoffed. “It’s not my fault she thought Franklin discovered electricity.”

Sonny nuzzled into Rita’s hair with a breathy chuckle.

“She held me back, made me clean out the classroom. When it was finally time to go home Patricia was there waiting for me,” Her voice shook, and her heart raced as the story continued to build. “She clearly had nothing better to do than torment me,” the words tasted bitter in Rita’s mouth. “She pushed me against the wall, told me to stand still.”

Rita could still feel the scratch of bricks against her back, firm hands on her shoulders. She could see Patricia’s blonde hair had been pulled back into a plait, a pretty green bow held the ends together. Rita could hear the menacing tone of Patricia’s voice as the girl told her to stay still, to not move. She remembered the sickening feeling in her stomach as the girl appeared to walk away, but then she suddenly turned and charged. Head down, running as fast as she could towards Rita.

“I moved,” Rita croaked, she felt a tear escape the corner of her eye and slide down her cheek. “She told me to stand still against the wall, but I didn’t. I moved out of the way and she ran head first into the wall and snapped her neck.”

“Jesus,” All the colour had drained from the blond’s face.

The sound was sickening.

Rita remembered dropping to her knees, checking for a pulse, lifting her hands at the wetness that she had felt. There had been so much blood, more than Rita had thought there would be, more than she would ever see again. That was how Rita’s teacher had found her, covered in blood, Patricia dead in front of her.

“If it wasn’t for the fact the janitor had witnessed the entire situation the consequences would have been worse,” Sonny held her tight as her entire body shook, years of memory had been brought back in a single instant. “The fact it was her own fault didn’t matter to the town. To them I was guilty; a murderer.”

Rita couldn’t help but wonder what her life would have been like if she had just stood still. Would Patricia have winded her? Or would Rita have ended up in hospital? Or would she have been the one who lost their life that afternoon?

“My father sent me away the next day,” Rita finished finally, a weight lifted from her shoulders as she ended her tale. “I was raised by my aunt in Pennsylvania, only allowed to return home on rare occasions. Eventually I stopped asking after my father and my brother, I just couldn’t bring myself to care.”

“Rita,” Sonny’s voice was hoarse. “I am so sorry,”

“The worst thing is,” Rita’s voice began to crack. “I thought they hated me. They didn’t though, they loved me.”

“Rita-”

“I miss them both so much,” she felt her body heave with grief. “How can I miss people I barely knew?”

“Because they’re your family,” Sonny said simply, his arms firm around Rita, making the woman feel sale.

“Sonny,” Rita turned herself to press a gentle kiss to his familiar form. “I’m sorry I keep pushing you away. I’m just so scared.”

“I know, Rita,” Sonny placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face. He pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth.

“You’re young, and handsome,” Rita broke the kiss. “You should want a wife, children. Not an old crone like me.”

A laugh erupted from Sonny’s chest causing his whole body to shake. “A crone, Rita? Really?”

“I-”

“You’re beautiful and brilliant,” he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Wonderfully wicked,” he moved himself from underneath her. “Sensational in all aspects of life,” Sonny leaned over to press a kiss to her collarbone and then another to her neck. “And sexy,” he kissed her neck again gently before he bit down. “And I love you.”

“I love you too,” Rita murmured before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss.

Rita couldn’t help but moan as Sonny snaked his hands under her shirt and began to stroke and caress the flesh beneath. Rita would have allowed him to continue if she hadn’t heard the sound of a car pull up outside the house. She quickly shoved the younger man away. “Sonny-”

“Please let me,” Sonny’s blue eyes begged.

“Sonny please stop,” Rita whispered as she stood up.

“Rita, what’s wrong?” Concern flooded his voice.

Rita made her way to the front door, she listened to the noises outside. Her body flooded with relief when she heard two familiar, masculine voices outside. That didn’t stop her from flinching when Sonny placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Everything okay?” He asked again.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Rita couldn’t help the teasing tone that crept into her voice. “Rafael and Trevor will be joining us.”

The way Sonny’s eyebrows shot up was almost comical. “When?” 

A knock on the door answered his question.

“Now.”


	6. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end, thank you to everyone who took a chance on this and decided to read it. I treasure each and every one of you. Thank you.
> 
> Note, a little bit more melodrama to finish this fic off, and please don't take any of the actions depicted within.
> 
> Thanks to ChameleonCircuit for the once over/beta, any other mistakes are mine.
> 
> If you recognise a line it's probably not mine. I do not own, only enjoy, and I hope you do to. Feedback is very much appreciated.
> 
> Enjoy.

The Sheriff's office wanted nothing more than to blame Rita Calhoun for her brother’s death. It would have been easy to do so. The two of them had been alone out in the field, Rita could have just pushed Johnny into the silo and let him drown. If it wasn’t for the fact that Johnny didn’t have a history of being reckless and jumping into the various silo’s around the county then maybe they would have been able to do so.

Well, that fact and Calhoun’s lawyer. He towered over every man in the office, he would have even towered over Johnny if the two had ever met. Daniel Burbank didn’t like him one bit. Him or the other man who met him outside the station, a much shorter man with a permanent look of disgust on his face. Daniel wasn’t stupid, that man he remembered from a thanksgiving long ago.

He threw both men a disgusted look before slamming the door of the Sheriff's office behind him. He couldn’t wait for Rita Calhoun to finally leave and take her men with her. Silver Creek would be all the better for it. After she went, the town would be done with the Calhoun family and maybe they would all finally move on.

  
  


**Chapter Six - Family**

  
  


It had been a long time since Rafael Barba had stepped foot in this house, and even though it had only been a few days, Rita was certain it had made an impact on the man. Seeing him standing on her porch, his partner looming like a giant behind him, stirred feelings of warmth in Rita’s belly. She quickly checked herself in the mirror and looked back at Sonny, making sure that the younger man looked presentable before she finally opened the door.

“I never expected to see you back here,” her mouth was twisted into a smirk and her brow was cocked.

“You look more composed than I thought you would be,” He said gently, a small smile on his face. “Come here.”

The shorter man drew her into a rare hug, she melted into him slightly before pulling away. “Thanks for coming.”

“We couldn’t leave you out here alone,” Rafael chuckled.

“I wasn’t alone,” Rita scoffed. “Dominick was with me.”

Rafael juts rolled his eyes, he knew her far too well. “And when did you kick him out?”

“Excuse me-”

“She didn’t kick me out,” Rita couldn’t help but smirk at her friend as Sonny came to her rescue. “I left.”

“As though that’s better,” Rafael continued to tease.

Trevor’s stern voice came from just behind him, the man still hasn’t entered the house. “Rafael.”

“Sorry,” pink tinged Rafael’s cheeks.

“Come on in Trevor,” Sonny beckoned. “You cannot leave me alone with these two.”

Rita guided the men through the house and lead them to the guest bedroom. Sonny followed, he grabbed a fresh set of sheets along the way and handed them to Rafael.

“We’ll leave the two of you to unpack,” he threw them a wink before dragging Rita out the door. As soon as they were downstairs and back in the living room Sonny pressed Rita against the wall and captured her mouth in a searing kiss. “That was mean.”

“I have no idea what you mean,” Rita purred through the smirk on her face.

“Next time I’d prefer not to greet your oldest friend half hard,” Sonny growled before pressing a kiss into her neck. “Or left wanting.”

Rita’s laugh was breathy. “I’d say I’m sorry-”

“You’d be lying,” He gently kissed her lips once more before he turned to walk away. “I’ll start dinner.”

Rita flashed him a small smile before she made her way over to the couch. She laid herself down and inhaled deeply. Even though thoughts of her brother, of Patricia, still clouded her mind, she finally felt at peace.

She only had a moment to herself before Rafael’s velvet voice pierced the silence. “The two of you are very domestic.”

“Shouldn’t you be unpacking with Trevor?” She responded, unwilling to move from her position on the lounge.

“He’s a grown man,” She could hear her friend getting closer. “He can handle himself.”

“I don’t know how,” She bit back a snigger. “If you can barely handle him.”

Rita could practically hear Rafael’s eyes roll around. “Mature.”

“Well I am grieving,” this time an uncontrolled giggle erupted and shook her entire body.

There was a knock on the wall, Rita forced herself to sit up only to be met with Trevor’s kind face staring at her. Rafael was hovering closer to her, his arms crossed over his chest, clearly unimpressed with the situation.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Trevor looked between them, an amused smile on his face. “We went past the Sheriff's office-”

“Oh?” Rita cocked a brow.

“I wanted to introduce myself as your attorney,” the tall man continued. “They will be contacting me directly if they wish to speak with you.”

“Thank you,” her response was genuine.

The Trevor nodded, a warm smile on his face. “I’ll leave you two to catch up. Come and get me if you need a hand with anything.”

Rafael and Rita watched and waited for Trevor to leave. Once they heard his footsteps on the stairs Rafael moved around to sit himself down next to his friend. He looked around the room, a look of curiosity and wonder etched on his face. “This place really hasn’t changed one bit.”

“Save it, Rafael,” Rita couldn’t help the bite in her tone.

“No, really, it hasn’t.” Rafael looked his friend directly in the eye. “The townsfolk seem to remember me.”

“Really?”

“Your brother clearly told a lot of stories about me,” Rita didn’t miss the smirk that twitched at the corner of his mouth.

The corner of her mouth twitched to match. “Me too.”

“I’m sure they were just as lovely,” He chuckled before his face and tone turned serious. “I can’t believe you bought Dominick ‘Call me Son-’”

Rita raised her hand to stop him. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“Look, Rita,” Rafael sighed. “I wanted to say that he is clearly good for you.”

“Thank you,” she was surprised at how genuine he sounded.

Rafael’s eyes grew soft, he reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. “You just need to realize that you do deserve him.”

“How is it that you can always read my mind?” Rita’s smirk quirked.

“How is it that you can always read mine?” He shot back at her. “What did you tell me when I first started doubting my relationship Trevor?”

The memory came to her quickly. “That you’re a fool if you can’t see how much he loves you.”

“You’re a fool Rita,” Rafael’s tone and smile were softer than Rita expected. It made her feel warm.

“Thanks, Rafi.”

\--

Three days later Rita found herself back at the small chapel on the outskirts of Silver Creek. She had pushed for a fast burial, and was certain that the town had overcharged her, but it didn’t matter. The sooner Johnny was buried, the sooner Rita could get out of the god forsaken town.

The two extra pairs of hands helped to get the final things into boxes. She had no clue what she was going to do with everything, but at least it was out of sight and mostly out of mind. Even the items Johnny had put aside for himself had been packed away, except the few things Rita had placed on his coffin for the service.

Just as they had for her father’s, the people of Silver Creek and it’s surrounds had turned up in full force to Johnny’s funeral. Once more Rita tried to remind herself that the people were here for her brother, not for her, but just as before, they sat in the pews. They glared at the back of Rita’s head, their tones nasty and their whispers full of lies. She didn’t feel an ounce of relief until the priest stepped up to the podium and began the sermon.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” The priest cleared his throat. “We come to gather in this church today, and the first thing I hope you came to do is that you came to praise the Lord, and that you’ve come to worship God.

“Jonathan Anthony Michael Calhoun was a pillar in our community. Always a smile on his face, always a kind word to say, he will be sorely missed. His sister Rita would like to say a few words.”

Sonny gave Rita’s hand a squeeze before she rose to her feet and made her way to the front of the chapel. She ignored the pointed muttering from the townsfolk, and the voice that hissed ‘ _ Murderess _ ’ as she walked past. When she finally reached the podium she looked out over the small gathering and drew in a deep breath, deciding to treat these people as she would any other judgemental jury.

“Thank you all for coming,” Rita was calm, cool, collected. “It’s wonderful to see everyone here, to see how loved my brother was by the community.” She took another deep breath. “Johnny and I had a rough childhood, our mother died when Johnny was very young and my father struggled-”

“Because of you,” An angry voice called out.

“My father struggled to raise two bright children,” Rita ignored the voice, and the stirring it had caused. “He succeeded. Johnny was-”

“It’s your fault he’s dead,” another person tried to antagonize her.

Rita took a deep breath and tried again. “Johnny was-”

“You’re the reason Johnny is dead!” This time the shout was vicious.

This time Rafael leapt to his feet. “Excuse me?”

“She’s a murderer,” Susan McKee leapt to her feat and dramatically pointed at Rita.

“And you’re melodramatic,” Rafael scoffed as he rolled his eyes.

“You all should go back to where you came from,” That of course didn’t deter Susan. “And leave us alone.”

Rita watched as Rafael begins to move out of his pew, his fists balled angrily. She didn’t want the situation to dissolve into an argument, she held up her hand and cleared her throat. “Fine then, we’ll be off.”

Rita  walked over to her baby brother’s coffin, she said a silent prayer and hoped that wherever he had ended up that he was happy. She then nodded at the priest before she walked back over to where she was sitting. Rita grabbed her things and proceeded out of the church, Sonny hurried behind her.

In the distance Rita heard someone, probably Susan, berate her. “Stupid bitch.”

“Excuse me?” Rafael had leapt to Rita’s defence.

Rita reached the entrance of the chapel and stepped outside. She leaned against the wall breathing heavily, Sonny at her side waiting for any sort of signal. She held her hand up, gesturing for the man to be quiet,  Rita wanted to know exactly what was going on inside the chapel.

“Let’s just go Rafael,” she heard Trevor weakly insist.

“Rita didn’t kill Johnny,” Rita knew that tone all too well, Rafael was just getting started. “They may not have been close, but he died trying to prove to her that she was better than all of your hate.”

“Fuck off,” another masculine voice shouted.

“Anyone would die trying to prove that,” Rafael continued on, calm, collected, but undoubtedly angry. “Johnny was wrong though, you’re all selfish, you can’t be left to yourselves,” He spat. “I hope you all rot.”

Rita and Sonny looked at each other, unable to help the smirks that had appeared on their faces. Rafael stormed through the chapel doors, Trevor on his heals, a knowing smirk also on his face. As soon as the doors shut behind them Rita burst out laughing, she just couldn’t help herself. Trevor and Sonny shortly followed, the sound of the three of them laughing echoed into the distance.

Rafael just scowled. “Let’s get out of this dump.”

As they climbed into the car, their laughter finally muffled, Rita hoped that everyone inside the chapel heard them so they knew exactly what the slick city folk thought of them. Rita leaned back and rested her head on Sonny’s shoulder, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be comforted by the taller man’s arms around her.

All too soon they were approaching the house. Tomorrow an estate agent would be past to assess the house for sale and a second hand store was coming by to value the contents for resale, everything else would go to charity. Rita would be glad to be rid out the house, she would be leaving this town for the last time, and she only felt joy at the prospect of leaving these vile people in the dust.

“Rita,” Rafael turned to look at her, his expression serious. “Please don’t get upset-”

“What?” She asked, the car ground to a halt.

“It’s all surface damage,” Trevor’s voice soothed. “Soap, water and a fresh coat of paint is all it needs.”

Rita opened her eyes and looked at the house, smeared across the front in bright red paint, large letters spelling out one word,  _ MURDERER _ . Rita saw red, she frantically reached for the car door and opened it. She climbed up and stormed towards the house. She was done, with this house, this town, these people, done.

She jammed her key into the lock and jiggled it until she heard the click of the bolt, she thrust the door open and stormed inside. Rita heard her companions scrambling inside after her, she could feel the tension dripping from each of them. It was Sonny who was the first to break the silence.

“Rita,” He said quietly. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“There’s only one thing I need in this house,” Rita stormed over to the carefully stacked boxes and located the one marked photos. She picked it up and placed it next to the front door.  “The rest of this can burn.”

“What?” Sonny’s eyebrows shot straight up

“Rita,” Rafael scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh I am entirely serious,” Rita laughed, her tone boarded on hysterical. “This house,  _ this town _ , has bought nothing but heartbreak and shame-”

“This house his over a hundred years old Rita-” Trevor interjected.

“Exactly,” She nodded with a huffed laugh. “Why should someone in the town buy it?”

Sonny tried to plead with her. “Rita-”

“Get the petrol,” She snapped at him, directing him outside.

“Wait,” Rafael stood there and pinched his nose, he then looked up and locked eyes with his friend. “You probably won't need an accelerant.”

“Rafael!” Trevor scolded.

“It’s wood, it’ll burn,” Rafael pointedly ignored his friend. “Old blankets, paper, anything flammable will probably work.”

“I cannot condone this,” Trevor sighed as though he had already resigned himself that it was happening.

Sonny snapped. “Go outside then.”

“Just tell me where you need me,” Trevor rolled up his sleeves.

“Carry the photos to my rental car,” Rita tossed him the keys, she didn’t want to involve him in this if he didn’t want to be there. “Then move both the cars far from the house.”

Trevor nodded as he caught the keys, he walked over to Rafael and kissed him on the forehead. He then grabbed the box of photos and headed outside as instructed. Rita then turned to her lover and her friend. “Last chance to leave.”

“Come on,” Sonny motioned to Rafael. “Let’s see what we can find.”

The three of them collected anything the could find that was flammable and would burn easily. Old blankets, toys, clothes, books, everything was moved into the living room where the fireplace was. They scattered them throughout the room, making sure everything was evenly spread and connected.

Rita then made her way to the kitchen grabbing the matches that were safely stashed in the back of a drawer. She returned to the living room where Sonny and Rafael were waiting for her, a grim look of determination on her face. Rita inhaled slowly, through her nose and out of her mouth before she opened the box with a shaking hand. There was no turning back now.

\--

She grabbed three matches from the box before she tipped the rest of them on the floor. Each of them hit the floor with a tap and a bounce, the sound of scattering wood pleased her. She took one last deep breath, the scent of her childhood home sinking in for the last time, a small smile graced her face.

“Rita Calhoun,” she uttered as she lit the three matches, and flicked them towards the fireplace. “Is no longer cursed.”

As though in slow motion she watched the matches all land and catch alight, nothing else needed to be done, the linen bedding and cheap blankets caught alight and soon three small fires were burning. She turned and made her way out of the house, Rafael and Sonny following behind. As they walked away from the house the fire spread, and soon their silhouettes were surrounded by a flaming house, like a picture from a movie.

In minutes they reach Trevor, who pointed at the house, prompting the three of them to turn and look at what they had done. The house was a mass of smoke and bright orange flame. In the background Rita heard Trevor making a phone call, requesting the fire service to come and douse the fire. It would be too late though, by the time help arrived the house was consumed by flames.

Rita Calhoun was finally free.

 

 

_ “Higher Daddy higher!” _

_ “If you go too high you’ll fly away.” _

_ “No I won't, I’d miss you too much.” _

_ “I’d miss you more.” _

_ “Love you, Daddy.” _

_ “Love you too, baby girl. _ ”

 


End file.
